“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAjceqYFJeLf
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only206Please respect copyright.PENANAimBUFB6qm8
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still206Please respect copyright.PENANATqVcjIR9qF
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone206Please respect copyright.PENANAHTxDUfH5vb
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAOjwxclggh7
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been206Please respect copyright.PENANAbs0SpiEcVO
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings206Please respect copyright.PENANAI5GmLodlE6
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards206Please respect copyright.PENANAXwl70HZruu
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”206Please respect copyright.PENANA6tvX3uusJT
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have206Please respect copyright.PENANAQulmQXUUVn
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAwxMxLHS2my
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may206Please respect copyright.PENANAj1jmu2u5FX
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to206Please respect copyright.PENANACfHppGbi4u
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over206Please respect copyright.PENANAiNlx6UnAj8
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even206Please respect copyright.PENANA72jI4SfBS5
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both206Please respect copyright.PENANAHkaocPiVk7
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a206Please respect copyright.PENANAeY1gOISrKa
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAr95KCyK2uj
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as206Please respect copyright.PENANAhLlyaFMPgL
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these206Please respect copyright.PENANAcJoqZV8Emm
parts... Or even -”206Please respect copyright.PENANAEgJ54TAtrv
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that206Please respect copyright.PENANA9AyELUpNht
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant206Please respect copyright.PENANAqe36jay4Hb
to read it.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAgbg37DX9hk
A short silence stood between the two of us ...206Please respect copyright.PENANAkcymHN7YJd
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared206Please respect copyright.PENANAf6mtJ8hS4j
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know206Please respect copyright.PENANACwlharnj6e
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just206Please respect copyright.PENANAbakdwVOzUY
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me206Please respect copyright.PENANAXhTV1pCePr
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!206Please respect copyright.PENANAaaX1zo8deC
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAwBIuZL4GFh
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...206Please respect copyright.PENANAdK8MoudNlG
A long pause took over his person.206Please respect copyright.PENANADENKlwZC3P
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a206Please respect copyright.PENANAJORvwo5fp2
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.206Please respect copyright.PENANAYVQJVYeIUe
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in206Please respect copyright.PENANArZE7qnlXkO
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the206Please respect copyright.PENANAcXdjjG3EBM
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection206Please respect copyright.PENANAcdLHdbrYDK
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”206Please respect copyright.PENANA67kiQmW68y
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did206Please respect copyright.PENANAkrAHyTfVcx
you get your hands on all this?”206Please respect copyright.PENANAuUs53wkBY8
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAJTZHC1FnU5
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?206Please respect copyright.PENANAueZirknJzo
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with206Please respect copyright.PENANAmprQ41IPNr
restlessness.206Please respect copyright.PENANAPw54MxVo5u
“And then you will read it?”206Please respect copyright.PENANAndV9Nercxi
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”206Please respect copyright.PENANAZN9yKFJoWw
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of206Please respect copyright.PENANADWQhcEYqiE
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will206Please respect copyright.PENANAa26uTue5Bz
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”206Please respect copyright.PENANAxtENPwiKFQ
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.206Please respect copyright.PENANAF6VkXz0Du4
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly206Please respect copyright.PENANAUNnmf9dzfS
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls206Please respect copyright.PENANA0UHo3P8jUl
carrying tomes for me regularly.”206Please respect copyright.PENANArvPVCRyyrL
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as206Please respect copyright.PENANAKUEiIVOmCX
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what206Please respect copyright.PENANANHSZ3NVd1t
could be in store inside that notebook.206Please respect copyright.PENANAs9dwZwkTAu